Yesterday the road in front of our house was like the Santa Monica Freeway, which is especially odd when you consider that we live 3 km out on a very poor pot-hole rock-laden dusty red-dirt road. It’s nearly impossible to find someone’s home back here because the dozens of crisscrossing roads are unnamed, and there are no numbers or addresses on homes. (When people come to visit us I have to give them road markers, “turn right at the three-way split and follow the bougainvilleas on your left,” then “turn left at the corner house with three German Shepherds who will escape through the electric fence and try to block your path,” etc.)

I figured the traffic was due to the half-dozen cardboard “Funeral Home” signs directing people how to get from Leopards Hill road (the main drag) to the neighbor three plots down from us who had erected a…

I arrived back home to Canada on May 1st. 16lbs lighter in weight but gained a ton in knowledge. You don’t realize how much you can learn about survival, compassion and hard work until you have seen it done with your own eyes. I spent 30 days in Zambia Africa and came home with a renewed zest for what SEEDS is trying to do and confidence that we can do it.

I stayed in a guest house ran by Sister Cathy of the Catholic Church of Zambia, met the famous UBC-O nurses from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada, who have been training and learning in the hospital in Mongu and met other NGO’s all trying to do their bit to help.

With such a need for every thing there it is hard not to give. I ran out of money so I ate like they ate (sparsely), I slept with a net over my bed, shared a room with spiders and cock roaches that would put Texas to shame and struggled to get things done in constant heat that burns.

I met the rest of Freddrick’s (our manager) amazing family whom I now call my own, met amazing farmers of all ages and played with the wonderful innocent children whom we are trying to help. We had a hard working crew, lead by Freddrick and I had my little followers who helped me clear up brush and plastic garbage and plant the vegetable garden and trees.

One of my main helpers

my other main helper

planting tree seeds

The first farmer to return tree seeds

making green paint

my duck feather paint brush

Our SEEDS gate painting

My sponsored child who is a young man now

Orphaned Elephants at Lilayi

garbage turned compost

germinating seeds in toilet rolls

soil testing

We even did our Christmas video

One of the better meals I cooked

U.B.C. nurses in Mongu

my room mate

We built the resource garden for farmers complete with drip irrigation and the tree nursery. We even painted a big sign on the gate! I had to make green paint as I could only find black & white and even made my own paint brush out of a duck feather.

In three weeks time, we handed out vegetable seeds from Canada to 12 female and 23 male farmers who lived fairly close (within an hours bike ride) to our Resource Centre. We are tracking the numbers in their families and I guesstimate we provided additional food crops for 350 people . That means we are potentially helping 315 children have a better variety of vegetables.

These crops should harvest in July which is during their dry season when they need the food most. The rainy season starts in October/November and their normal harvest is in January/February/March. Therefore they have to make that harvest last until the next harvest. A long time!

We have computer software to track our results so I will know more as our Assistant Manager Matindo records our stats and reports back to me in Canada.

We even received our first lot of tree seeds that were handed in by a 67 year old female farmer who we then gave a second batch of seeds.

I saw a wild Lion on the side of the road while on the bus in Kafue National Park and the orphaned Elephants at Lilayi.

I am blessed to be able to do this, thanks to the people who have donated funds so far. I raised the $600.00 Canadian dollars which it cost to build the garden and tree nursery and the rest of the money was my own. We still have much more to do and I look forward to a seed full year.

Is a registered Canadian charity # 80157 2736 RR0001. Your contribution is helping SEEDS to operate a seed bank to help the needy become self-supporting in Zambia Africa.

What Exactly Do We Do at SEEDS?

We collect non-GMO vegetable seeds in Toronto Canada, from two catering companies, a banquet hall, a pizza parlor and an organic grocery store and then we dry and package them.

Then we send the vegetable seeds to the people of Zambia, Africa.

Who in exchange gather tree seeds for our local and fruit tree nursery. We plant those trees in communities and also sell to National & Private Game Parks to plant to feed Elephants. The trees will be planted by our local staff and through our Echo-tourism tree planting projects.

If you are interested in coming to Zambia in August 2015 for a week to plant trees and a week at the famous Victoria Falls in Livingstone, one of the 7 wonders of the world, email joanne@sendseedstoafrica.org and put eco-tourism in the subject line.

We are currently sending seeds and “How to Grow” binders to connections in five cities in Zambia and have established relationships with governments and other echo-tourism establishments to provide trees to them.

Your contribution is helping SEEDS to operate a seed bank to help the needy become self-supporting in Zambia Africa. By providing the vegetable seeds, people are able to plant, grow, eat and save their own seed. They may sell the fruits of their labours or eat a healthier diet themselves.

It is through donations such as yours that SEEDS has sent almost 3.5 million seeds to Zambia.

We have assembled a team in Canada and Zambia whose sole vision is to protect the environment for the benefit of the public by conserving ecosystems or restoring ecosystems and bio-diversity on a long-term basis. We are helping people to grow a better variety of vegetables, earn a bit of extra income by selling the excess, and selling trees to National & Private Game Parks to plant to feed Elephants and reforest local communities.

You are helping to raise funds, which help these programs immediately as we send vegetable seeds every two months. We provide “How to Grow” handouts for all of the seeds, both the seeds we send and the tree seeds they provide. It is our goal to grow trees for, food, shade, fuel, fertilizer and erosion control of the soil. We stress that the soil is the key to healthy plants so we teach “How to make a compost pit” which is so most important to replenish the soil.

Thus providing all the many benefits of trees and food to the marginalized peoples and elephants of Zambia.

The purpose of this web site is to provide environmental ideas, “How to Grow”instructions and hope to Zambian people.

I have purposely left the “How to Grow “instructions for our Western Climates in the instructions so anyone can grow any of the seeds listed on this site. Maybe you would like to start saving your own seed?

Give it a try and let us know how it goes!

Tip:For a more detailed version. Download the printer-friendly version here.

If you” click “to follow it you will get an email sent to you every time I write a blog.

We have many things in the works for 2014 and I hope you will join our adventure.

I am very excited as I was able to get a really good price on a flight to Zambia for the whole month of April in 2014.

I will be taking seeds and growing instructions to my connections in Lusaka, Chipata, Kaoma, Mongu and Kalabo, Zambia.

I started packing in Dec.2013. I have a binder with planting and growing instructions for each area. I can’t wait.

I hope to build the enclosure for seedlings in the tree nursery, choose the sites to allow the trees to get big and set out the plan for the whole year. This photo is courtesy of Ripple Africa.org in Malawi. They have been a big help to me. Thank you Ripple Africa!

The following list is an example of the seeds I am sending to each of my four connections.

Note: it is best to let seed pods dry completely on the plant before picking seeds

STORE BOUGHT- I bought packaged seeds at the end of our planting season last July 2013 for 25 cents per package. I emailed the company and they confirmed they do not carry GMO seeds so they are good to send.

1 pkg-Bush beans, will grow like a small bush

2 pkgs-Broccoli, likes cooler weather, plant in winter

2 pkgs-carrots, will go to seed second year in ground

2 pkgs-Cabbage, also likes cooler weather

2 pkgs cauliflower, also prefers cool weather

1 pkg-cayenne(hot) pepper, good to grow around garden to keep out animals

2 pkgs-radish, quick growing, eat when young so not too hot, but let some go to seed.

2 pkgs-spinach,

2 pkgs-lettuce

1 pkg -red bell pepper

2 pkgs-tomatoes

1pkg-cucumber, mound soil

2 pkgs-peas, plant near cauliflower as it likes nitrogen

1 pkg- Italian parsley, good for soups, will keep growing and go to seed if you just pick leaves

1 pkg-dill, good herb with fish or pickling vegetables, will also go to seed

HOME GROWN- from my garden or locally grown in Ontario where ever possible.

Amounts are approximate:

3000-Sweet pepper seeds, not sure if they will grow, please let me know

2 peach pits, worth a try as they grow in SA.

20 watermelon seeds, hard to get in Canada

150 butternut squash, likes cooler weather

200 pumpkin seeds

200 yellow zucchini

20 pole beans, will grow up 8 feet tall, see trellis building instructions

For now you may still find out what we are doing on the blog medwoman.wordpress.com. We presently have four locations to send seeds to in Africa and are working on sending them to our Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

If you have any questions you may email me and I will sprout up to get back to you

Canada Revenue Agency has started a new supplement with an added 25% to the rates used to calculate monetary donations.

So if you have not donated in the past 5 years and claimed it on your income tax, nows the time!

Donate Through Paypal

If you wish to donate with your credit card through paypal you may do so by clicking here

We have saved many seeds but do not have the funds to courier them to Zambia.

It costs approximately $200.00 to send the seeds and now I have two connections in Eastern Province and one connection in Western Province to send the seeds to. Therefore I need to collect $600.00 in donations to send the seeds now as the rainy season has started.

Any donation would be appreciated as it all adds up.

See the explanation of how it all works with the CRA below.

Thank you! Joanne

What is the new First-Time Donor’s Super Credit (FDSC)?

A2. Starting in the 2013-2017 taxation year, the budget proposes to introduce a temporary non-refundable FDSC that will supplement the CDTC for individuals. This new credit effectively adds 25% to the rates used in the calculation of the CDTC for up to $1,000 of monetary donations. As a result, a first-time donor will be allowed a 40% federal credit for donations of $200 or less, and a 54% federal credit for the portion of donations over $200 but not exceeding $1,000.

Example 1: An eligible first-time donor claims $500 of charitable donations in 2013. All of the donations are donations of money. The first-time donor’s FDSC and CDTC would be calculated as follows:

First $200 of charitable donations claimed:

$200 x 15% =

$30

Charitable donations claimed in excess of $200:

$300 x 29% =

$87

First-Time Donor’s Super Credit:

$500 x 25% =

$125

Total FDSC and CDTC:

$242

Example 2: An eligible first-time donor claims $700 of charitable donations in 2013. Only $300 of the donations are donations of money. The first-time donor’s FDSC and CDTC would be calculated as follows:

First $200 of charitable donations claimed:

$200 x 15% =

$30

Charitable donations claimed in excess of $200:

$500 x 29% =

$145

First-Time Donor’s Super Credit:

$300 x 25% =

$75

Total FDSC and CDTC:

$250

Q3. When can I claim the FDSC?

A3. As the FDSC is a temporary credit, you can only claim it once from the 2013 to 2017 taxation years.

Q4. Who is considered a first-time donor?

A4. For the 2013 taxation year, an individual will be considered a first-time donor if neither the individual nor the individual’s spouse or common-law partner has claimed the CDTC in any of the five preceding tax years.

Q5. Can both my spouse or common-law partner and I claim the FDSC?

A5. As a first-time donor, the FDSC, along with the corresponding CDTC, may be shared by you and your spouse or common-law partner in a particular taxation year. However, the total amount of donations that may be claimed for the FDSC by both individuals cannot exceed $1,000. When it cannot be agreed on the amount of the credit that each of you will claim, the CRA may apportion the credit.

Q6. Do all of my donations qualify for the FDSC?

A6. No. Only donations of money that are made after March 20, 2013 will qualify for the FDSC. For taxation years from 2013 to 2017, a new line will be added to Schedule 9, Donations and Gifts to identify the eligible portion of the charitable donations that you have claimed that are donations of money.

Q7. Where can I get more information about the FDSC?

A7. The CRA is committed to providing taxpayers with up-to-date information. The CRA encourages taxpayers to check its Web site often. All new forms, policies, and guidelines will be posted as they become available.

Here are some pictures of what Lisa’s staff saved for me and I separated last evening to dry. They are sweet peppers, pear( not sure if they will grow in Zambia but we will try), papaya, Honey Due melon and cantaloupe.

My dog loves it when there are pieces of pepper that come with the seeds. She sits and waits very patiently. This was a bonus score as Lisa did a canning workshop, where they made salsa. Each child had the opportunity to customize their own to taste and take a case home.

The kids had left a lot of the pepper with the seeds so it was great for Wylie, but not so great for Lisa’s food costs.

Lisa is quite amazing with all of the things she does and I do so appreciate her saving seeds for me. Thanks Lisa.

If you would like to make a monetary donation through paypal, please click the link below. I will have the actual DONATE button in the new SEEDS blog coming soon!